This book covers when the Saints left Nauvoo until they made it to Winter Quarters later that year. The main thing that surprised me about this book was how long it took the pioneers to get across the plains. I knew there was a Winter Quarters, of course, but I'd kind of thought it was for smaller groups of people--I had forgotten or never realized that it was for
everyone that first winter after they left Nauvoo. I can't believe how annoying that must have been to Brigham Young to take so long to get across the plains. The main Steed family drama in this book was Joshua's conversion to the Church... which I thought was well-thought-out and believable, although I wouldn't have been surprised if it had taken longer, knowing Joshua's history. Every time Joshua had a question and asked Nathan about it, the chapter took the form of a Sunday School lesson about Gospel Principles, which was a little bit boring... and I sometimes think Lund exaggerates the level of doctrinal understanding the Saints back then had, when revelation was coming all the time and everything was new to everyone. I don't think Nathan would have sounded just like a modern-day elder's quorum president.
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